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Abstract:

Method of separation of loose mixture in fluid medium consists in the
gravity feed of particles, aerodynamic monotonically increasing effect on
them at acute angle to the vertical line by the cascade of slot jets and
the outlet of separated fractions into separate collectors. Before
aerodynamic effect on loose mixture particles each jet is transferred to
developed turbulence mode by their vertical expansion jets until jets are
merged with each other with faulty or close to it form of jet formation
and the appearance of at least two circulation zones different in size in
each inter-jet space of all contiguous jets. The device for separation
contains the bunker with vibrating chute mounted underneath the jet
generator, the flat nozzles located one under another at acute angle to
the vertical line, the height of cross sections of which, step and angle
of installation increase top-down. The generator is connected with the
source of air supply under pressure, and is covered by the side walls,
and grade collectors. Each nozzle is equipped with rectangular rigid wall
adjoined to its top across full width of the nozzle. The size of the
rigid wall width makes at least three dimensions of cross-sectional
height of the nozzle contiguity, and the ratio of installation step of
nozzles to the height of cross section of the upper nozzle in relation to
it is not less than four.

Claims:

1. A method of separating substances in a liquid medium comprising the
steps of: operating a plurality of air jets positioned at acute angles to
a vertical surface, wherein each air jet of said plurality differs in
size; gravitationally dropping a stream of said substances past said
plurality of air jets, diverting by way of operation of said plurality of
air jets dislodged fractions of said substances into separate collectors,
and creating a circular air path between at least two air jets of said
plurality of air jets.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said air jets are cascaded.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said air jets comprise flat nozzles.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said substances are friable.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein two successive flows of air from two
successive air jets extend vertically, forming a joining jet flow.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein every two successive air jets form a
joining jet flow.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein an acute turbulent region of jet flow
is formed between every two successive air jets.

8. A device for separation of friable substances in a liquid medium
comprising: a bunker further comprising a vibration tray and outlet
designed for gravitationally induced expelling of said friable substances
into a separation area; a jet generator beneath said bunker; a plurality
of flat-nozzled jets extending, at differing lengths from, and
operatively connected to said jet generator at acute angles to a vertical
surface of said jet generator; and collectors of displaced fractions of
said friable substances extending an entire width of a control area.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein a length of each successive said jet
increases relative to the length of a said jet above.

10. The device of claim 8 further comprising side walls.

11. The device of claim 8, wherein each said collector is equipped with a
hard rectangular wall.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein a width of said hard rectangular wall
is at least three times larger than a height of a said collector
comprising said hard rectangular wall.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein a space between each said jet is at
least four times greater than a height of said collectors.

Description:

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSED TECHNOLOGY

[0001] The invention relates to methods and devices for air or liquid
separation of loose materials and can be used in food, chemical and other
branches of industry, where the separation of mixtures into factions is
required, as well as in agriculture to prepare seeds for sowing and for
breeding purposes.

BACKGROUND

[0002] The method of separation of loose mixture in fluid medium consists
in the gravity feed of particles of the material being separated at
regular speed, the impact on them with uniform air flow resulted in the
output of finished fractions [see Patent of the USSR #1176976 Cl. B 07 B
4/02 issued in the Bulletin #33 on Sep. 7, 1985].

[0004] The effect of air flow to single loose mixture particle is carried
out once and only on the random basis in the method and device indicated.
Therefore, the quality (accuracy) of the separation is quite low with a
rough separation of the mixture into grades. For this reason, such
methods and devices are primarily used for pre-treatment of loose mixture
from light impurities.

[0005] The method of separation of loose mixture in fluid medium consists
in the gravity feed of particles, aerodynamic monotonically increasing
effect on them at acute angle to the vertical line with the cascade of
slot jets resulted in the output of finished grades. This effect is
carried out in free alternating power scanning mode with increasing
amplitude and scanning angle. The device for separation contains the
bunker with vibrating chute, the jet generator installed below, with flat
nozzles located one under another at acute angle with the vertical line,
the height of cross sections of which, step and installation angle
increase top-down. The generator is connected with the source of air
supply under pressure and is covered by the side walls. The device has
grade collectors located under nozzles [see Patent of Ukraine #45881 Cl.
B 07 B 4/02 issued in the Bulletin #4 on Apr. 15, 2002].

[0006] Particle separation occurs this way due to the difference ratio of
their weight and air resistance force. Due to special mode of air jets
effecting loose mixture, this method is more accurate and more stable in
time, especially at separating irregular shaped particles. This was
possible because the effect with the cascade of jet flow in scanning mode
enables to approach each loose mixture particle multiply and in different
directions.

[0007] But the method and the device have the following drawbacks.

[0008] Free alternating jet cascade mode inevitably leads to periodic,
unstable in time and space pressure zone origination and discharge with
the occurrence of direct and reverse flows. Particles (especially light)
are involved in a direction opposite the movement of the main flow, which
causes partial mixing with the material already separated. The
instability in time of this phenomenon will eventually lead to jet
cascade breaking in any random place, which further strengthens the
reverse flow in this zone and, consequently, intensifies the process of
mixing.

[0009] In addition, air jet interruption contributes to the generation
breakdown (oscillatory motion cessation) that significantly reduces the
quality of separation, bringing it to the quality of separation by usual
winnowing machine.

[0010] The closest by their essence and the effect achieved are the method
and device used to separate loose mixture in fluid medium having been
taken for a prototype model, the essence of which is as follows:

[0011] The method of separation of loose mixture in fluid medium consists
in the gravity feed of particles, aerodynamic monotonically increasing
effect on them at acute angle to the vertical line with the cascade of
slot jets resulted in the output of finished grades, with the aerodynamic
effect carried out in the mode of resonance self-oscillatory motion of
each jet and the whole jet cascade on the frequency of fundamental
harmonic of fluctuations.

[0012] The device for separation of loose mixture in fluid medium contains
the bunker with vibrating chute, the jet generator installed below, with
flat nozzles located one under another at acute angle with the vertical
line, the height of cross sections of which, step and installation angle
increase top-down. The generator is connected with the source of air
supply under pressure and is covered by the side walls and grade
collectors. In this case each pair of contiguous nozzles is equipped with
a resonance chamber connected with its inter-nozzle space. Besides,
chambers have units equipped for their volume adjustment, where the ratio
of the height of the cross section of nozzles to the step of their
installation is in the range of 0.2-0.25, and the ratio of the extreme
upper and the extreme lower angles of the nozzles installation makes
0.65-0.75 [see Patent of Ukraine #60254 Cl. B 07 B 4/02, A 01 F issued in
the Bulletin #7 on Jul. 15, 2005].

[0013] Undoubtedly, flat jet cascade application in separation process
provides high quality separation of loose mixture into grades, but only
if slot jet cascade is in the mode of self-oscillatory motion on the
frequency of fundamental harmonic. But self-oscillatory mode requires the
device to be equipped with the resonance chambers making the device
complicated. In addition, to provide precise resonance frequency,
resonance chambers are equipped with their volume adjusting units, and to
exclude the possibility of self-oscillatory motion on higher harmonic
frequencies, it is required to keep accurately to the step and
installation angles of the nozzles. Consequently, despite the fact that
the described method of separation of loose mixture in the fluid medium
provides the necessary quality of the separation of loose mixture into
grades, but its implementation requires a substantial complication of the
device and its maintenance difficulties, in particular, the volume
adjustment in resonance chambers, which is related to disadvantages. To
simplify the same device without rejecting the application of slot jet
cascade, cascade formation principle should be changed.

[0014] The basis for the invention is creating the method and device for
separation of loose mixture in fluid medium providing quality improvement
of loose mixture being separated via greater turbulence achievement and
device maintenance simplification by forming self-adjusting system by
means of optimizing the aerodynamic effect on the particles of initial
source material by transferring each jet flow into developed turbulence
mode, which totally excludes partial mixing of finally separated material
and enhances the quality of separation at multifunctional division of
irregularly shaped particles.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSED TECHNOLOGY

[0015] The task is solved so that the developed method for separation of
loose mixture in fluid medium comprises the gravity feed of particles,
aerodynamic monotonically increasing effect on them at acute angle to the
vertical line by the cascade of slot jets and the output of separated
grades to special collectors, and according to the suggestion, before
aerodynamic influencing loose particles in the mixture each jet is
transferred to developed turbulence mode by increasing their vertical
jets prior to merging jets with each other with faulty or close to it
form of jet formation and appearing of at least two circulation zones
different by size in each inter-jet space of all contiguous jets.

[0016] The solution of the problem is also that the device for the
suggested method contains the bunker with vibrating chute for gravity
feed mixture in the separation zone. The jet generator installed
underneath it together with flat nozzles located one under another at
acute angle with the vertical line, the height of cross sections of
which, step and installation angle increase top-down. The generator is
connected with the source of air supply under pressure and is covered by
the side walls, and grade collectors. In accordance with the suggestion
each nozzle is equipped with rectangular rigid wall adjusted to its top
of the full nozzle width.

[0017] The width of the rigid wall makes at least three dimensions of
cross-sectional height of the nozzle contiguity, and the ratio of
installation step of nozzles to the height of cross section of the upper
nozzle with respect to it is not less than four.

[0018] A distinctive feature of the proposed method of separation of loose
mixture in fluid medium is the application of the effect of bilateral jet
expansion in the flat nozzle, at which the bending of the axis of the jet
reaches a maximum with great degree of expansion, and does not change
with increasing degree of expansion (faulty jet flow form). This allows
the ratio of values (sizes) to maintain constant circulation zones, i.e.
the number of Reynolds does not affect the size of circulation zones.
Therefore, there is no need for any speed adjustment for air jet efflux.

[0019] Technical result of the invention is the possibility to simplify
significantly the device for separation by a new approach to the cascade
of slot jets and eliminate several units and components from its
construction through creation of stable circulation zones in
self-adjusting system. Meanwhile, the quality of separation of loose
material at its multigrade division by size, shape, or specific weight of
particles is not reducing but rather increasing.

[0020] Consequently, the change in flat jet cascade formation, i.e. in the
method of separation, automatically entails a substantial simplification
of the device without deterioration of its technical and operational
specifications, that is, keeping the quality of multigrade separation of
loose mixture, e.g. grain crops, both with simple and complex form of
grains, which is important in agriculture at seeds preparation for sowing
and for breeding purposes.

[0021] Thus, all essential features of the suggested technical solution
provide attaining the objectives of the invention.

[0022] Positive aspects of the present invention having been stated will
be evident to professionals in this field of knowledge after reading by
them the below description of the preferred variant of the proposed
invention implementation with illustrative material attached.

[0025] Technical advantages: construction simplification of the device for
loose mixture separation with simultaneous quality improvement for
mixtures being separated into separate grades by achievement of greater
jet flow turbulence, which resulted in self-adjusting system occurrence
due to device operation in faulty mode of flat jet formation.

[0026] Application: for air or liquid separation of loose materials in
food, chemical and other branches of industry, at separating mixtures in
grades, as well as in agriculture to prepare the seeds for sowing and for
breeding purposes.

[0027] The device for the method of separation of loose mixture in fluid
medium contains the bunker 1 with vibrating chute 2 for the gravity feed
of particles in separation zone. Jet generator 3 being developed as the
closed space system on one side is installed under vibrating chute 2 with
a number of flat nozzles 4. The number of the latter depends on the
necessary device capacity, but should not be less than three. The height
of cross section of nozzle h, the angle α of their installation
fitted to the vertical line and step Z between the nozzles increase
top-down. Each nozzle 4 is equipped with a rigid wall 5 adjusted to its
top at its full width. However, as mentioned above, the size of the width
of the rigid wall 5 is not less than three dimensions of cross-sectional
height of the contiguity nozzle 4, and the ratio of step installation 4
to the cross-sectional height of the nozzle which is upper in relation to
the nozzle 4 is not less than four.

[0028] Grade collectors 6 for the material separated are adjoined to the
generator 3 from below.

[0029] The side edges of nozzles 4 and inter-nozzle space are covered by
the side walls 7 to exclude air inflow from the atmosphere, which will
inevitably lead to generation breakdown. The generator 3 is connected
with the source of air supply under pressure P, for example,
high-pressure fan (not shown due to its well-known model).

[0030] The method is carried out in the following way.

[0031] First, the gravity feed of loose material particles is carried out.
Vibrating chute 2 is used for this, from which the particles fall in the
separation zone. Particles being in free fall state are affected by flat
jet cascade at acute angle to the vertical line in developed turbulence
mode of the generator 3 (shown with dotted line), which occurs due to
bending of jets during their expansion in nozzles, and the presence of a
rigid wall 5 of specific size provides the formation of circulation zones
different in size. To ensure general stream stability, the upper
circulation zone should be larger in size than the lower one.

[0032] After particles pass jet cascade the output of ready grades is
carried out into collectors 6. Simultaneously with the process of
separated particles collecting the selection of intermediate grades is
carried out, returning particles to the bunker 1 for re-separation.

[0033] The device works as follows.

[0034] Loose mixture passes through the flat jet cascade due to gravity
force from the bunker 1 through vibrating chute 2 (indicated with dotted
line) that flows out of the nozzle 4 to the separation unit made in a
form of grade collectors 6.

[0035] Synchronous operation of nozzles 4 is provided by the correct ratio
of main geometric parameters of the generator 3, their sizes, angles and
places of installation in the device. After separation in jet cascade,
the particles fall into grade collectors 6.

[0036] Tests of a prototype device for the separation of loose mixture, in
particular, the grains of grain crops, have shown that the proposed
method provides high-quality separation of grains into several grades.

[0037] The technical advantages of the proposed technical solutions, as
compared with the prototype, can be considered the simplification of the
device for separation of loose mixture, with simultaneous quality
improvement of the separation of mixtures into separate fractions by the
achievement of greater jet flow turbulence, which results in formation of
self-adjusting system owing to device operating in faulty mode of flat
jet efflux.

[0038] After describing the suggested method and device for separation of
loose mixture in fluid medium, it is should be evident for the
specialists in this branch of knowledge, that all information stated
above is merely illustrative and not restrictive, as represented by this
particular example. Many possible modifications of the device components,
in particular, the number of nozzles and their size, the size of the
generator, grade collectors structure, vibrating chute structure, feeding
bunker, the source of high pressure air supply unit may vary depending on
the source loose material type, and it is understood that all indicated
above is within the volume of conventional and natural approaches in this
field of knowledge and such is considered as being within the volume of
the proposed technical solutions.

[0039] The quintessence of the proposed technical solution is that the
separation is performed with air jet cascade in developed turbulence mode
resulting from jet expansion in the vertical line, and agglutination at
faulty or close to it flow form, and the formation of not less than two
circulation zones different by sizes in the beginning of each inter-jet
space of all contiguous jets that allow to create self-adjusting system
and improve significantly the quality of loose mixture separation into
grades. These circumstances have empowered the suggested method and
device with stated above and other advantages. Changing the forming
principle of jet cascade and their treatment mode for another, of course,
will limit the benefits listed above, and will lead to complication of
the device construction, and therefore shall not be considered as new
technical solution in this field of knowledge. As other solutions like
the method highlighted do not require any engineering or designing
creativity, and therefore, may not be the result of creative activities
or new intellectual property, being the subject to the protection by
enforcement documents.

[0040] A method of separation of loose (friable) substances in a liquid
medium functions with a gravitational supply of particles, the
aero-dynamical, gradually increasing impact upon these of a cascade of
flat air jets at a acute angle to the vertical surface, and the diversion
of the dislodged fractions into separate collectors, distinguished by the
fact that, prior to the aero-dynamical impact upon the particles of the
loose (friable) substance, the flow of each air jet is shifted into a
regime of acute turbulence by expanding them vertically until the jets
merge with one another in a joining or near-joining shape of jet flow,
and the placing into each inter-jet space of all adjoining jets differing
from each other in size by at least two circle areas. A joining jet flow
is defined as a jet flow created from two or more individual jet flows.

[0041] Equipment for the implementation of the above method of separating
loose (friable) substances in a liquid medium, which includes a bunker
with a vibration tray for the gravitational supply of substance to the
separation area, a jet generator inserted underneath, with flat controls
mounted one underneath the other at a acute angle to vertical surface,
with the height of their cross section, the space and angle of the
mounting, expanding from top to bottom, and which is connected to the
source of the air flow under pressure and enclosed in side walls; and
collectors of fractions, characterized by each control being equipped
with a hard rectangular wall, adjacent to it at the top along the entire
width of the control.

[0042] The equipment may be characterized by the fact that the width of
the hard wall is at least three times larger than the height of the cross
section of the adjacent control, and the space between the controls is at
least four times greater than the height of the cross section.